3/26/2016 12:45 AM PDT

Babe Ruth's 104-Yr. Old Glove At Auction ... Could Sell For $1 Million!

EXCLUSIVE

Babe Ruth's 104-year-old, one of a kind, game used, high school baseball mitt is about to hit the auction block ... and is expected to fetch close to $1 MILLION ... TMZ Sports has learned.

The catcher's mitt dates back to 1912 ... when Ruth attended St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys in Baltimore and played on the baseball team. He later gave the glove to a kid -- and the family held onto it for decades.

The mitt's been on display at the Babe Ruth Museum since 1993 -- but now the family has decided the time is right to sell ... and hooked up with Goldin Auctions to make it happen.

The live auction -- which will stream online -- goes down April 30th at an upscale restaurant in NYC.

Starting bid is $125k -- though we're told Ruth collectors are fired up about this item and bidding is expected to scrape the $1 million mark.